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Flushing girl still in critical condition following bacterial infection; community rallies to support family

allysoningham.jpg

Allyson Ingham, 7, of Flushing remains in critical condition at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor after contracting an infectious disease earlier this month. The community has rallied behind the family to provide support for medical bills.
(Courtesy Photo)

“She has this little chipmunk voice when you hear her talk,” she said of 7-year-old Allyson Ingham, who has been on a ventilator for three weeks following a diagnosis of an infectious disease that’s left her in critical condition at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. “I look forward to hearing her voice again.”

The Flushing community has rallied around Allyson, who started first grade at Springview Elementary in September, with fundraisers and cards sent to her bedside by classmates.

“Basically, she came home sick on a Tuesday (Oct. 8) from school, just a normal stomachache like every kid gets,” Ingham said. “The next day, she was complaining about her legs hurting.”

That’s when a doctor at Hurley Medical Center notified Ingham that Allyson had purpura, with bruising and bleeding under her skin on the arms and legs due to blood clots constricting blood flow.

The energetic, headstrong “girly girl,” who likes to shop, go to the beach in the summer and has been commended this year for lending a helping hand to other classmates, was transported via helicopter to Ann Arbor for further treatment.

“There was fear when we got down here that we would have to do some intervention with her arms,” said Ingham.

Last week Allyson had all of her toes removed, as well as other procedures done to remove dead tissue on her thigh, chest and feet, due to a condition called sepsis that began with the bacteria Streptococcus A. The family is still not clear on how the bacteria was contracted.

“They will probably have to go in another day this week and do some more debriding again until they see the tissue is healthy, be able to accept the skin graft,” she said. “They don’t want to skin graft an area that’s dead tissue.”

Ingham said Allyson has been kept on a ventilator and “Basically due to the amount of pain she is in, they have to keep her very sedated because when she wakes up she cries.”

“Just seeing her in this condition is just horrible,” Stephanie said. Allyson will be kept on the ventilator until no more debriding is necessary. “I do appreciate everything the community has tried to do. It helps us to be able to stay down with her. I was supposed to start a new job the week she became sick.”

“To see them all pull together for this little girl is just amazing,” Ingham said, adding her mother has also come to town from New York to help care for her 9-year-old daughter allowing her to stay close to the hospital for any issues.

T-shirts are being sold by the school's PTO members, a Coins for Cause drive is under way at Elms Elementary, and an online fundraiser has been started by Dustin Pahman, Ingham's brother, to help pay medical bills. As of Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 29, nearly $5,000 had been raised through the website.

When asked how she would to Allyson the amputations of her toes, Ingham said the family had been working with a child life specialist at the hospital to get through the process.

“I think the most important thing she’ll have to come to terms with is they had to take away your toes, but we almost lost you” Ingham said she would tell her daughter. “I know it is tough for any child to lose any body part, but you are still here. The personality she has...she will still thrive.”